Dishwashers have become an integral part of everyday household use. Typical dishwashers use water pumped into a tub to clean dishes and utensils during wash cycles. Dishwasher tubs comprise a sump with a filter that separates food soils from wash water. The soils exit the tub through the drain and the wash water falls through the filter to a circulation pump that re-circulates the water through the tub via spray arms. Sometimes, however, the filter can become clogged with soils, overwhelming the filter and preventing or slowing the passing of wash water through the filter. In this case, a lack of water below the filter causes the circulation pump to suck in air, which may cause the circulation pump to become starved (run dry), lose its prime, or stop pumping altogether. These conditions may ultimately damage the circulation pump if not treated quickly.